A co-ordinated wave of bombings has torn through Shia Muslim areas in and around the Iraqi capital, killing at least 66 and wounding many more, according to officials.

The blasts, which came in quick succession, targeted residents out shopping and on their way to work early on Wednesday.

The attacks are the latest in a wave of killings in Iraq that has left thousands dead since April, marking the country's worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. They raise fears that Iraq is hurtling back towards a civil war fuelled by ethnic and sectarian differences.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attacks bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida. The Sunni militant group frequently targets Shia Muslims, which it considers heretics, and employs co-ordinated bombings in an attempt to incite sectarian strife.

The northern neighbourhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent, gold-domed Shia shrine, was the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot followed by a suicide car bomber who struck while onlookers were gathering at the scene. Police said a total of 10 people were killed and 27 wounded.

Other areas that were hit included the sprawling slum of Sadr City and Jamila, and the neighbourhoods of Shaab, Shula, and Mahmoudiyah.